What are you up to?

Goodness, I've been studying Christian Heritage for about an hour and a half and I just don't know if I can take it any more! I've got some pretty outrageous review sheets going on for the majority of my classes... Daunting, I must say. But I only have to hold it together for 5 more days and I will be done with my 3rd semester at Baylor University. Man, time flies. I can't believe I'm approaching being halfway done with my college career. That is just crazy. It seems that I've lost touch with a lot of people this semester. Sorry guys. I've been getting really involved in life here at school, which is a good thing, but I never intended to drop all of my other relationships. I hope you haven't felt that way! I've been reminded in the past couple of days just how much God has blessed me this semester primarily through getting plugged in at my church. My passion is for the Body of Christ and helping others to grow in Him, and Highland has fed that passion for me. I've been blessed to help teach Kindergarten Sunday school, work in Awana Cubbies, be in a Community Group (Highland College Small group), and lead a Community Group this semester. I'm absolutely loving it. Mabel and I are planning to live in an apartment with two of the girls in our community group next year and I couldn't be more excited. There is always stuff going on, and I just wish I could have everyone I love experience all of the amazing things that go on here. I've also been blessed through some wonderful classes this semester. The past week or so I've been kind of bogged down, feeling disappointed that my grades may not end up as high as I'd like. But I had to stop and reevaluate some stuff. I have learned a tremendous amount this semester. I have loved the majority of my classes and I know that I am walking into another semester better understanding how I learn and what my weaknesses are. That is what matters. It's not all about making straight A's and getting on the dean's list. I just want to walk away from this semester carrying all of the things that have helped to shape me into who I am and use those things as tools to shape others that I encounter. As I said, my passions have been fed this semester, not just through Highland, but through school as well. I'm really excited about classes next semester and I know that God has great things to teach me. I can't wait to find out what they are :o)

I hope that gives you a little bit of a taste of what my life's been like lately. I'd love to hear about what's going on in your life! Leave me a comment or drop me an email!

Let's pray

I've been thinking about this song the past week or so, and I feel like it is a good reminder for us all with the stress of the end of the semester at hand. I know I covet your prayers... I'm seeking to be faithful to pray for you as well. Lots of love!

Pray For Me
I know the promises, what He said
When I'm weak, He'll be strong
And on those days when I find that I am
Losing ground on the road so long
It's hard for me to comprehend
That He is safely leading me
It's hard for me to understand
Just what He wants me to be, so...

Pray for me
'Cause sometimes I think that I'm just to weak to take it
Oh, pray for me
'Cause some days I don't have the strength I need to make it
Oh, won't you pray for me
Oh, please pray for me

I know there may be trouble
Around every corner now
But I've been told that Jesus
Is gonna get me through somehow
I need to see His hand reaching out
When I'm leaning toward a fall
I need to hear His words of hope
When I have no hope at all, so...

I know I don't deserve anything He has to give
But I know unless I learn to accept His love
I'll never really live, so...

~ "Pray for Me" by Sierra

Love in action

"Don't ever let someone get away
with the idea that
they can love you just by saying it,
without showing it."

~Kyle Dunn, College Pastor, Highland Baptist Church

Do your words hold weight??

Blackout

Sitting in the library studying for my Religion quiz
Boom, the lights go out
Uhhhh... what just happened?
Are they coming back on?
What in the world is that loud banging noise?
Did the elevators fall??
Where's Mabel? (We had separated when we went inside the library)
Surprisingly, I was calm
I sat there, just waiting for something to happen
For the lights to kick back on
Or someone to tell us we had to leave
Or something
I turn my head
And there's Mabel
What just happened??
We couldn't figure it out
How did she know I was there?
She didn't
She was walking up to "some random girl" to find out if she knew what was going on
It just happened to be me
After a few minutes we decided to leave
Walking out of the creepy, dark library
We turned back to look at the ominous looming stature
Laughing, we came back to the dorm
The power is out in the whole library??
God's way of telling us we need a break??

I'm back

Directly from His hand who cherished her
before she came to be, the simple soul
comes forth just like a little baby girl
Who cries and laughs and doesn't know a thing
save that, moved by her Maker, by her joy,
she willingly turns to all that makes her sing.
Innocently she tastes the savor of
some lesser good, then chases it, deceived,
unless some rein or guide direct the love.

~From Dante's Purgatory

Rather than turning towards all that makes me sing, I pray that I will learn to run towards the One who gave me a voice to begin with. May the Word of the Lord that is sharper than a double-edged sword and the Holy Spirit who is omnipotent be the reins that direct my love.

Today is the first day it has genuinely felt like fall, and I looove it. The crisp, cool air, colors of pumpkin and fire-engine red, warm, snuggly sweaters, and hot chocolate next to the fire. A season of change. God has been changing me a lot lately. I pray that the changes are as refreshing to others as the coming of fall is to me. Love you all!

God is good... all the time

I'm not gonna lie, there have definitely been times within the past three weeks that I've been pretty discouraged... even to the point of questioning why I'm at Baylor and if I'm really seeking after the will of Christ with my life... scary. One thing that has been hard for me in making the decision to come to Baylor and stay at Baylor, is that people are supportive of me because I am convicted about it. I've struggled with others not being convicted about it along with me. I mean, what if I misheard the message? How much of this is God and how much of it is just me? But, as I've struggled and prayed about it before coming to Baylor and while being here, God has shown me so many ways in which He has used my being here to grow me closer to Him along with closer to other people. I've learned so much about being vulnerable, about trusting Him to get me through every situation, about seeking Him out and asking questions, about being real. And though there have been rough moments, He has brought forth joy out of the struggles, through even the tiniest blessings that can speak volumes. The weekend with my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and nieces was so encouraging. I always feel loved the moment I step into their house. James, Mabel, and Diane all listened through my struggles and were just there to cry to, even though they didn't have to be. My parents have been ultra-supportive, as they always are, and I couldn't be more blessed to have them in my life. The other day at Wal-Mart, every child that passed me smiled and said hi and most of them told me something they were excited about. It made my day. I started working in Cubbies last night at Highland, and one little girl the moment she walked in the door latched on to me and picked me as her friend. Yesterday the weather was absolutely beautiful, and I smiled every time I walked out the door. God is good all the time. He's always there for you. He loves you. He will never forsake you.

Bumpy Beginnings....

Hey everybody. For those of you who started school this week, I pray it went well. For those of you who start next week, I'm praying it goes well. I can hardly believe that I left half an hour less than a week ago. It's been a rough week, and I miss home beyond what I can express. But, I am excited about God's purpose for me here. I know He has an amazing plan. I love my professors and my classes in general. I get to start teaching Kindergarten Sunday school on Sunday and working with Cubbies in Awana in a couple of weeks. I've gotten to spend a few afternoons with the Colon twins already, and am excited about the opportunity to be involved in their lives. I'll be picking them up from school four days a week and spending a couple of hours with them, plus they'll be in the Sunday school class I'm teaching at Highland! I've gotten to reunite with my beloved roommate who I missed tremendously over the summer, and I've started getting back into the groove with Campus Crusade. The homework hasn't started pouring in yet, so that's been a relief, and I think I've gotten even some extra rest that I've needed over the past week. For those of you who don't know, I wrecked my car on Saturday, less than 24 hours after my parents had left me in Waco (sorry, Mom and Dad). Though I'm waiting for the official word from the insurance, the body shop guy has told me that from his observation, the car is totaled. The accident was my fault; there was a red light, and I didn't see it. Praise God for His protection. For those of you wondering--no, I wasn't talking on the phone; no, I wasn't listening to loud music; no, I wasn't trying to find something in the car.... I was watching the road. The road is four lanes and only has one light past the intersection, besides a vertical light that is hardly visible as there is a building in front of it. I almost wish that I had been distracted, because I just sound like an idiot. Though the light was hard to see, I should have seen it. But, praise the Lord for grace, protection, and insurance. It wasn't the way I hoped or planned to begin the school year, but He is faithful, no matter how greatly I fail. Thank you for all of you that have checked up on me and shown so much love and grace to me. You all are blessings. Thank you for your prayers. Please let me know how I can pray for you and better support you. I love you all!

"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as a little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." ~Matthew 18:4

*Stained Glass Masquerade*

This song has been really challenging to me recently. Challenging me to not only be one who is accepting of others and their pain and their struggles, to be someone who others can be open with, but also to be open with others, to take the risk of being accepted as I truly am--which often isn't the person that everyone imagines me to be...

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small
Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they'll soon discover
That I don't belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles that hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone who's been there
Are there any hands to raise
Am I the only one who's traded
In the altar for a stage
The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

But would it set me free
If I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person
That you imagine me to be
Would your arms be open
Or would you walk away
Would the love of Jesus
Be enough to make you stay

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles that hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles that hide our pain
But if the invitation's open
To every heart that has been broken
Maybe then we close the curtain
On our stained glass masquerade

Is there anyone that fails
Is there anyone that falls
Am I the only one in church today feelin' so small

~"Stained Glass Masquerade" by Casting Crowns~

I'm sorry for those of you who have been disappointed by my lack of blogging over the summer months. Things have been busy and I've been overwhelmed at all I could tell you about, but didn't want to write you a novel that would never be read anyway. I'll try and post a few pictures soon for you from various trips. I got to go to Ireland May 22-June 1 and was enthralled by the beauty of God's creation... both in nature and culture. I love that our God is a God of creativity, amen? I spent a week serving at Camp Charis as a counselor, but for security purposes I don't have any pictures that I'm able to post from that. We took a day trip to go tubing down the Ichetucknee River, where Kenley suffered a stabbing (it wasn't fatal, not to worry) by a protruding tree branch and saved me from suffering the same. My family traveled to Texas and Oklahoma to visit friends and family, especially to celebrate Willa Mae and L.D.'s 50th anniversary! We love you guys :o). We were charmed by the wit of my nephew, who onlyadorablere adoreable by the day, and we were warmed by the sweet baby girls that were recently added to our family. I've been busy when I've actually been home between various babysitting jobs, working at a Real Estate office, church activities, dating a special guy, and hanging out with treasured friends and family. My car was in the shop this week and my parents graciously doled out some major dollars for some repairs... and it still isn't fixed and has to go back to the shop :o(. I still haven't gone to the beach all summer, and I live in Florida... I'm seeking to reconcile this problem soon. God is challenging me to truly consider how big He is, realize I'll never even be able to remotely comprehend it, and concede that He can control my life a lot better than I can. He is stretching me to depend on Him and to be vulnerable enough to depend on others. He's teaching me to love... and it's something I know I will never stop learning. Praise the Lord I'm being taught by LOVE Himself. Well, I guess that catches you up a smidge on what's been going on with me. *I love you all*

"Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another,

because love covers a multitude of sins." ~1 Peter 4:8

Too much to say

I think that I have avoided blogging for a while because I have had entirely too much to say. And when you say too much, few listen. So much has happened and yet I've had plenty of time to post something, I just havent, because it wouldn't be good enough to convey all of what I have experienced. God has been rocking my world lately. Really rocking my world...

So that's the draft of a post that I started on June 13th.... guess I've just continued to be overwhelmed with all that I could say. My summer has been a rollercoaster of events and emotions thus far... not to mention I feel like I just stepped onto the ride and yet I can already see the end of the track. Being home as much as I have been has truly been a blessing. I've realized all over again why it was so hard for me to go away to school, and why it will continue to be hard. I don't let go very easily. There are so many people here that are incredibly important to me, and so many opportunities that seem to jump out at me all the time. I have a network here... and a pretty extensive one at that. I came home and jumped right back into ministry at Northwoods... singing in Adult Choir, singing on praise team, working with youth when I'm in town... I nearly immediately had people calling me for babysitting jobs, people wanting to hang out, running errands for my mother, doing favors for friends. It's crazy. It scares me that this may be the last summer that I'm home ever again, but I won't deny that it is a large possibility. It breaks my heart in some ways, but it also shows me that God has plans for me beyond what I can see right now. He is faithful, and He will provide for all of you... and for me. You know, it is often so much easier to trust God with the problems of others than it is to trust Him with your own problems. I want my faith to grow to truly trust God with anything. Right now, it's trusting Him with my financial situation. I'm beyond broke. I think money is just an area of life that I'm learning about the hard way.... I don't like learning the hard way. But, I do want to learn. God is showing me that He is faithful and He will provide for my needs, but I have to understand that He is not one to squeeze Himself into my agenda, He's there for me to hand over my agenda and say, "It's Your's, do what You will with it." Well, I think I've said too much already... I have a tendency to do that. But, I want you to know that God is faithful and He is able. "My God shall supply all my needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." ~Philippians 4:19 Amen?

I love being an aunt

Mabel and I made a trip to see my two new nieces today. They are beautiful. Being an aunt is so much fun. I'm already sad that I won't see them for a while. I was reminded also that my family is an amazing example of love. The Love of Christ truly shines through my family members and I am always encouraged to be around them. Kris and Christina, I love you guys, and your babies are beautiful!!!....

Rachel

Sarah

Rachel

Sarah

Rachel

Sarah

Camron holding his baby sister Sarah

Cam and Me

Aww... all bundled up

Cam and I played with bubbles... the wind was blowing them for us!

One nephew and two nieces... so much fun...

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

Hello all :o) I just wanted to post the amazing news that the Stringer twins are here!! *Yay* Sarah Marie and Rachel Elise were born yesterday evening. Sarah was 4 lb. 9.5 oz and 17 1/4 inches long and Rachel was 4 lb. 11 oz and 17 1/2 inches long. Please keep the twins, Christina, Kris, and Camron in your prayers as they experience the adjustments of having two new members to the family. So far, Christina and the twins are healthy and should be able to go home on Saturday. *Praise the Lord!* I will be going to see them next Wednesday, and I promise to post pictures as soon as I have them. I'm super excited about having two nieces!!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made:
Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
~Psalm 139:14

Be still

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, be leaving, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

At the Foot of the Cross

The cross is amazing. God has brought me to the fooot of the cross this week as the days lead up to the celebration of His resurrection. Jesus, thank You for being my sacrifice. Thank You that You are unfailing, that You are love, and that in You love is unfailing. I don't know why, but Satan has been attacking my self worth lately. Maybe it's because I've been preaching it a lot to a lot of people, that we have to embrace who we are in Christ and not get allow Satan to convince us that we can do nothing for His glory. Christ's glory is in me, so I can offer Him a worthy sacrifice. I can sing praises that are the sweetest music to His ears, because I am covered in the blood of Christ and I am blameless. Do I realize what I've been rescued from? I pray I never forget that I was without hope, without light, without love.... when I was without Christ. But now, I choose not to let Satan convince me that I cannot be effective. I won't let him deceive him into believing I cannot be a disciple of Christ who shines for Him in a way that people notice. That belittles God's power that is in me. No, I choose to embrace that I am perfect and holy in His sight. I lay every burden of self degradation down at the cross. My sin, my worthlessness, is wiped away. I trade my ashes in for beauty...

At the foot of the cross, where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me your love, through the judgment You received
and You've won my heart, yes You've won my heart

Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
and wear forgiveness as a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

At the foot of the cross, where I am made complete
You have given me life through the death You bore for me
and You've won my heart, yes You've won my heart..

Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
and wear forgiveness as a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

Happy Birthday Mommy

I drove down to Perdido Key Beach on Friday to surprise my mom (as well as the rest of the family save Kenley) for the celebration of her 5oth birthday (it's ok, Mom, we know you're not old ;o) ). Even though I was only with them for about 20 hours, I was incredibly blessed through the time I spent with my family. Today is Mom's actual birthday.
Happy Birthday Mommy!! Thank you for being the incredible woman of God that you are and for loving me through all of life's twists and turns. Thank you for being a faithful friend in my life more than anything. I value you so much and wouldn't trade you for the world. Thank you for being you. :o)
The place where we stayed because of the graciousness of some friends was absolutely beautiful. I got there on Friday in time to go to dinner for Mom's birthday with everyone. We went to a yummy Italian place and then headed back to the condo to hang out. The guys and I went to find the game room to play a game of pool. Compared to the rest of the condo's facilities, the game room was ghetto. Not sure how that happened, but as Kenley put it, you practically have to go through the catacombs to get to the place and then you end up in this little painted concrete hole. We all definitely displayed that the Stringers were not created to be pool players, but we had fun anyway. Then, we returned to our 6th floor condo to watch Father of the Bride II. I love that movie :o) We all went to bed, I was out fast.... woke up the next morning and spent some time sitting on the balcony, drinking coffee, and talking to Mom, Dad brought doughnuts before long and the rest of the family decided that was worth getting up for... then Kenley, Kevin, and I hit the outdoor pool, the outdoor hot tub, and then the indoor pool.... then we'd worked up an appetite again so we went to get Mexican food, then came back and had ice cream, went down to the beach and took pictures, and I said my goodbyes and returned to the road to come back to Waco...
Happy Birthday, Mom. Know that you are loved and cherished :o)

Jello should not taste like beef

So I took a few bites of jello from the cafeteria and wasn't real happy with what the resulting flavor in my mouth was... jello shouldn't taste like some kind of beef casserole. That's just not ok. So I used my deductive reasoning to figure out how this could have happened... I know what type of pans they make the jello in, I fix the jello cups all the time at work (as a side note, cutting jello in a pan is really therapeutic). Well, they use those pans to hold pretty much anything they cook in that place, so I'm thinking that the flavor of the previous dish must not have been sufficiently washed from the pan before they filled it with jello. Result: nasty beef/barley/raspberry jello. Blegh. Based on my reasoning there Mabel would say something like: "Ah, that's why you're in the honors college!" I love that chick. Anyway, today has been a busy but good day. I made fruit pizza for my Bible study girls... yummy. I'd like to share with you all what has become my recent addiction.... color marking the Bible. Oh my goodness, we are doing an inductive Bible Study of the book of 1 John... I sit in class listening to my teachers lecture (I really do still listen, I listen better if I'm writing or something, otherwise my thoughts just wander... I seriously doubt that makes sense to you, but oh well) and have my printouts of 1 John and my box of pretty construction paper crayons and I colormark pretty much the whole time. It is so amazing to me how much you can glean from Scripture. There's always more there. I can't get enough of it. We had Bible Study tonight and it was good stuff. I was excited about sharing with them what God has been teaching me through studying the Word, and hearing from the other girls is always encouraging. Here's just a taste of some 1 John for you: "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." ~1 John 3:2 How amazing is that verse? We are children of God, heirs of His Kingdom, and we are continually being shaped to be more like Him... we won't fully know Him and be fully changed by His glory until we are face to face with Him... we don't even know what we will be like, because we will never fully know God until then! Something that I thought was awesome is that throughout 1 John there is repeatedly the two words "He is"... and it just triggered for me that when Moses asked God who he should tell the people gave him his assignment, "God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "" (Exodus 3:14)He is! There are so many attributes of God, and we will never know all of Him in this life, but how awesome, He is. God, You are. I praise I AM. One thing that God has been reassuring me of this week is that love is patient. There are so many people that I love that I want to see certain things happen for them in their lives now. I want to see Christ's power displayed through them, I want to see God deliver them from pain, I want them to turn back to their First Love... God is teaching me to wait on Him. To trust that His timing is perfect. To be patient with Him, to be patient with others. I love you. By the grace of God, my love for you is patient. I will trust and wait on the Lord for you, with you. Ok, I think that's enough from me today... I really should be writing a 6 page paper that is due tomorrow... I'll get to it ;o) . I pray blessings on all of you! Let me know what you're thinking! *smile*

Oh, and check me and Alisha out from when we went to the movies last weekend, aren't we cute? Hehehe....Oh one more thing, the fact that it was like 34 degrees here last week was not ok... Winter Weather at the end of March... not my preference to say the least... but it did give cause to wear my new Baylor hoodie and steal Chris' hat because he didn't match anyway ;o)

Global Night Commute

Hey guys, I want to challenge you all to participate in something that I believe has the potential to have a profound impact on the unjust suffering in our world. I don't know how much you all know about the situation in Sudan and Uganda, but trust me when I say we live in a sheltered country. We're so concerned that all of those close to us are safe and healthy, and we back away from risks that often I believe the Lord is calling us to take. Christ never promised that following Him would be safe. We created that idea. I plead with you to check out invisiblechildren.com, read about the suffering, pray about participating in the Global Night Commute on April 29th, pray about what it is that God is calling you to do in this situation. Tallahassee people, there aren't very many signed up for GNC in your area. Pray about being a part. If you have questions for me, I'll answer what I can. The site explains most things much better than I can. So check it out.
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." ~James 1:27

Here ya go

For those of you upset me with for not posting any pics of my smile minus the braces... here ya go:

I pray you are all enjoying the end of March... Spring Break was all too short for me and it was back to the grindstone nearly the minute I stepped into my dorm here at Baylor... I just pray that God will be glorified even in the busyness. I'm here for you all if you need me. Lots of love!!

Check it out:

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

~1 John 4:12~

P.S. I love Mabel. She's also an amazing photographer ;o)

It's been more than a while....

I know I haven't posted in a really long time... my life has been crazy lately and when it finally slowed down I just decided to enjoy the rest... my Spring Break has been great so far. My daddy, brother, and sweetheart of a boyfriend came all the way to Texas to bring me home and kidnap my nephew while they were at it ;o). The week leading up to Spring Break was a terror. Tons and tons of stuff, but I made it, praise the Lord. Mabel and I had our first serious confrontation session with each other... I knew it would come one day. Praise Jesus that we can challenge each other to lay down our sinful attitudes and take up our cross and follow the Lord. I don't ever want to take the blessings of my friends for granted. Mabel, I love you and cherish you and am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for being honest with me and challenging me to be a better friend and better roommate. I'm sorry for the ways I've hurt you. Thank you for loving me and sharpening me.
Since I've been home what's been going on.... Saturday my Mom and I took Camron to get his haircut, then Janelle, Mr. Robbin, Kenley, and I got together to practice our song for Sunday just a bit, then later we went to Janelle's concert... Bravisimo my dear!! It was awesome. I really enjoyed the music and was just inspired that Christ has blessed so many people with so many different talents and gifts to worship Him with. Keep on praising your Savior through the way He's made you, Janelle... you ROC chicka.
Sunday, we got to church at "8" (since we were actually a bit late) to practice our song again... I had a lot of fun worshipping with you guys :o) .... Sunday School was fun, Romans is good stuff... then, lunch with the fam, and to AMC to see Madea's Family Reunion... funny movie. Then, youth and then Applebee's to hang out with some of my favorite people ~ Lerah, Kyle, Ian, Erin, Paul, Ethan, Erica, and Alicia... then to Wal-Mart with Lerah and to my house to watch a movie!! Oh yes, another highlight of Sunday would be tracing David W and cutting out a cardboard child and dressing it for Lerah's biology class... fun, fun... I love you, Lerah :o)
Monday, I took Camron to get his picture made (yes, J and J, I said picture made just for you 2) which was, well, interesting. He was kinda having mood swings that morning... then I went to the orthodontist and I finally got my braces off!!!! YAY!!! I'll post you pics later, so unless you've already seen me or will see me at church tonight, you're just gonna have to wait a lil while longer... sorry... anyways, then my Mom, Cam, and I went to Chik-fil-A and then home and then James came over to see my pretty teeth and hang out, made dinner for my fam and then left to go see Ballet Magnificat... good stuff. I love the story of Ruth and to see it played out in dance is exciting. I miss ballet sometimes, but it was so encouraging to watch people who are so dedicated to not only becoming amazing dancers, but giving God all the glory for it. I had fun hanging out with Janelle and getting to talk to her some... wow, God's really been using you to bless me, girl. Thanks!
Tuesday... Kenley turned 24. Good gracious, you're old, kid. Hahaha, that was an oxymoron. Anyways, I "took" him to lunch at Broken Egg and then we went house-idea shopping at Target and then went to visit Joey at Publix. I miss my brother so much when I'm at school, and it was good to hang out with him just the 2 of us, it's hard to get to do that anymore with both of us being so busy and, ya know, so popular (riiiight ;o) ). Thank you for being such an encouragement in my life, Kenley. I never could have asked for a more amazing brother or close friend. You have inspired me in more ways than you will ever know and I count every moment I spend with you as a blessing from our Lord. Thank you for seeking after Him and allowing Him to use you in my life and so many others. After all that, Kenley had to show his house, so James and I went to Old Bainbridge Park and hung out for a while... good times. I enjoy all the time I spend with you, darling... thanks for being you. Then, to church to eat dinner with the family then to my house to watch a movie... actually, the same one I watched with Lerah, but I like that movie so it's all good. Except that my brothers and my father loooove to ruin chick flicks and make obnoxious comments and do cheesy imitations... sheesh, how did I make it growing up with all you guys ;o) ?
Today, I hung out with Cam in the morning and then we took him to Chuck E Cheese's.... that was fun. I think I heard him say "Chuck E Cheese" at least a thousand times in the car on the way there... he was really excited. He loved to play Skee Ball but the thing is he couldn't roll the ball hard enough to get all the way to the score rings so we'd have to help him roll it the rest of the way... he had a blast, that's what counts. We went to buy him new shoes afterwards which turned out to be quite an episode because he knew which ones he wanted and they weren't the ones my mom wanted to get, but she gave in, they were second choice anyway... he's growing up so fast, he was so cute making me put my foot in the size-finder thing and moving the measurer up and down. You'd never guess that getting "new socks and shoes" could be such an adventure. So soon it will be time to get Cam up from his nap and get ready to go to church... yay, I'm excited. God has been reminding me a lot lately how good it is to fellowship with other believers. We can't make it without one another, and there have been times recently that I've realized that more acutely than ever. So, to close this loooong make-up post out, I'm gonna post a song... it's for all of my friends and family who have been there through the years that I couldn't have made it this far without... and it's especially for you, Mabelina.

I need you
you need me
We're all a part of God's body
Stand with me
Agree with me
We're all a part of God's body

It is His will
that every need be supplied
you are important to me
I need you to survive

I'll pray for you
you pray for me
I love you
I need you to survive
I won't harm you with words from my mouth
I love you I need you to survive

It is His will that every need be supplied
You are important to me
I need you to survive

"I need you to survive" by Kirk Franklin

Fingers and Toes

Yah, so it's 3:23 am Central time... that's 4:24 for all you Eastern time-zoners... I just finished my Spanish paper that's due tomorrow and I still need to read a story for class before I go to sleep... this week is proving already to be crazy. I have two tests on Thursday and I was supposed to have a project due that day as well, but my prof postponed it, "praise the Lord!". I have my Spanish paper due tomorrow, a paper topic for Great Texts due Friday... plus, I have a few mid-terms next week. Yikes. If everything works out I'm going to see some of my extended family with my bro and his fam this weekend. I'm excited about that :o) Gotta take advantage of being in the same state as my family for a change... hasn't been that way most of my life. Anyways... I spent Friday night through Monday evening at home and it was sooo refreshing. I love how when I'm at home it's almost as if I never left, nothing is awkward or uncomfortable, it's still home. James Morrow and I are now officially dating or courting or whatever term you would like to give it for all of those concerned with that ;o) That's definitely a big thing for me... for those of you who don't know, I've had a lot of strong convictions about dating for a long time. I wish that I could accurately communicate all that God has taught me through the years, but let me assure you, I'm definitely not one to enter into a relationship like this casually. As we have both prayerfully considered this we are choosing to move forward in our relationship and praying that as we both walk towards Christ we will talk towards each other. It's pretty awesome to be in a relationship that has Jesus as the focus. Keep us in your prayers, please, cause I know the enemy has every desire to dig his claws into genuine fellowship between God's children... praise the Lord that His light pierces the darkness!
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 1 John 1:5-7 The weekend was a lot of fun, hanging out with friends playing some intense Nerts and taking crazy flying pics, going to a beautiful wedding, having deep, meaningful conversation with two of my favorite guys in the world (that would be Kenley and James, I love you both! :o) ), getting lots of hugs from my Mommy and Daddy, sitting and talking with my amazing grandmother in her kitchen, etc. etc. My mom and I went and got manicures and pedicures on Monday... good stuff, I'd never gotten either done before aside from the may-as-well-be-professional services of my beloved Diane Ashburn :o) It was fun to be pampered... tho I definitely messed up my fingernails before I had even left the salon... figures. You can check the pics... So when I came back last night Mabel had cleaned the room and stuff... made me very happy. :o) She's the best, what can I say ;o) She's definitely sitting at her computer laughing hysterically right now... you would think she's a lunatic... oh, oh, the joy you bring to my life, my dear :o) She and I took some pics with the huge bear James gave me.. She's good at getting me distracted when I'm supposed to be doing homework...
OK, I really should get some sleep before I have to be in class in less than 5 hours... enjoy the few pics. Love you all and am praying for you faithfully. Let me know what's going on in your lives!!

Alright, I'm not sure if these pics are gonna post right, but I'm not gonna stay up to fix em right now... love you all :o)

Happy Valentine's Day :o)

1 John 3:13 "Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." I have been blessed to have so many friends that have shown me love that is more than just words out of their mouth. Their love rings true based on the way they live their lives. I pray that I will grow to know Love more and more, because Christ is Love, and He is all that is worth seeking after. I love you all and have you in my prayers. Thanks to all of you who made my Valentine's Day so special :o)

Lasting Learning

God continues to teach me so much. There's always more to learn. I love that I can never reach an end to Him, there is always more. He is so great that I will never be able to know Him in all His fullness until the day of Christ Jesus. How amazing. I know that this often frustrates people, but over time I've realized that it is part of the mystery and wonder of God that we should celebrate. I wish I could share with you all that God's teaching me, but I think that would require you living my life, so I guess I will try and share a little that I feel may challenge you. I finished reading Kyle Lake's book "Understanding God's Will: How to hack the equation without formulas" today. It's a great book, and I would encourage you to read it for yourself. It sort of confirmed and reaffirmed things that I had been learning from God more recently, a fresh view of God's will that isn't some huge puzzle for us to try and figure out through some complicated strategy. In the book, Kyle shared a prayer by Thomas Merton, a 20th century monk and poet. It really struck me, so I thought I'd share. Maybe it will minister to you in some way too... You are all in my prayers!

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me
Nor do I really know myself,
And the fact that I think I am following Your will
Does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I belieive that the desire to please You
Does in fact please You.

And I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will elad me by the right road
Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust You always,
Though I may seem to be lost in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
And You will never leave me to face my struggles alone.

~Thomas Merton, 1915-1968

I love Mabel, yes I do

So tonight was Creative Date night with Campus Crusade. A guy's Bible study group "asked out" our girl's group and the guys planned the night out. The plan was to go to dinner and then hit up a Korean Karaoke Bar... Marian, Mabel, and I decided we'd probably just go to dinner because we needed to be productive tonight (though I don't think our productive plan really worked out). Turns up the karaoke bar is about an hour away, so I'm glad we didn't go, because we probably wouldn't even be back yet. Anyways... dinner was fun. We actually had two guys groups and two girls groups go together. The guys treated us to Baris, a fun pizza place. We had a good time. It's cool to hang out with people in a relaxed atmosphere, knowing that everyone is there because they are involved in the pursuit of Christ through a Campus Crusade Bible study. Good times, good times. Mabel and I then had a typical photo shoot as we try and do whenever we actually have made an attempt to look nice. So, enjoy the pics :o)

Marian and Mabel, aww...

Again, again :o)

Me and Tabitha

Marian, Mabel, and Me (ooo... so many M's... hahahaha)

Mabel helped me do eyeliner for the first time, pretty cool stuff...

Eyes are so cool

Aren't we cute? Hahaha... you wouldn't believe how many attempts it takes to get cute pics of us... seriously, it's quite an ordeal, but, we usually get a lot of laughs out of it, so it's all good...

Awww....

My roomie loves me... *blush*

*Muah*

I love you, Mabel Tabeetha Macaden, and I wouldn't trade you for the world...

This is pretty much my new favorite picture... we were truly meant for each other, eh, Mabe? *wink wink*

Love and laughter

Alright, today has been a day of quotes... so let me share some... first, some funny moments from the world of Tamara, Mabel, and Alisha... then some sweet, sappy quotes from The Wedding Date, which Mabel and I watched this afternoon...

"I'm sort of having a two-pronged thought here" ~Adam (we might have to start having a quote for every class time we have with Adam, huh ladies?)

"Not all relationships begin in Great Texts." ~Me

"You guys are gonna have to not run me into the wet bushes." ~Alisha

"I don't like her. She's arrogant... and she's balding!" ~Mabel

"The hardest thing is loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back."

"I'd rather fight with you than make love with anyone else."

"I think I'd miss you even if we'd never met."

~Nick Mercer, The Wedding Date, played by Dermot Mulroney

This week has been interesting. I lost my keys... which proved for some funny moments... you guys better believe you are special if I'm willing to post pictures of dumpster diving for you. Sheesh, I must really love ya'll. Yes, we went dumpster diving looking for my keys, and we still didn't find them. So yah, we were stuck on campus for a few days. But, it's not really a big deal to be stuck on campus, at least not during the week. I now have new keys because of my ever so wonderful parents sending them to me... thanks for understanding, Mommy and Daddy. I love you guys. I had my first tests of the semester this week... what fun. The week was loooong, but it's finally the weekend, praise the Lord, and by His grace I made it without any severe bruises or scars, really without even minor ones! Alright... here's some pics from the week for you all to enjoy...

The end of the weekend and the beginning of the week are all a blur...

Yah, Mabel likes to take pictures of me when I'm trying to be productive... You're such a distraction, Mabe! Hehe, you know I love you.

Ok, I'm surveying the situation...

I can't believe I'm doing this...

In the dumpster...

Look at all that trash!!

It amazes me that we can even have fun in the dumpster.... hahahahaha

Studying, and laughing.... good times...

The way I look before the girls make me crack up ;)

Have a great weekend everyone! You're in my prayers!!

Heroes

Today has been a really good day so far... and it's only 4:21 pm. Amazing. Mabel went with me to Highland this morning for the service. It was Missions Emphasis Weekend. I was challenged that I have not gotten enough involved in the mission field here and I need to stop saying I'm going to and just do it. The director of Mission Waco spoke as well as another missionary. I loved what the pastor said about how so many of us have accepted abnormal Christianity as normal for so long that when we hear normal Christians speak about following Christ in the middle of what may seem crazy, we think they are abnormal Christians. No, they are naturally responding to the call that Christ has given us. One of the speakers said that many people say there is a fine line between faith and stupid, and he is sure they've crossed "that line" on more than one occasions. "Compassion is not about feeling sorry for people. It's about getting up out of your place of safety and security and entering into the pain." Do we really allow the compassion of Christ to be extended to our world through us?
Instead of going to the college Sunday school today Mabel and I came back to the room and watched Louie Giglio's preaching from Passion '05. I had been telling her since the beginning of school that I wanted her to watch it... and well, God just kinda brought the idea to my mind during the service this morning. So, yah, that was fun. I was even more encouraged that I don't have to live the Christian life, but Christ can live it through me. "There's only been one person who ever pulled off living the Christian life. And He was so good at it--they named it after Him!" Amen to that. Everyone should listen to that preaching in my opinion, because Christ is so empowering, and Louie does an excellent job of bringing out the truth and refuting the lies that we have allowed the deceiver to make us believe. There is nothing better than Jesus.
This afternoon we went to the Campus Crusade for Christ Women's Tea. It was fun. We played "Speed Friends" (like speed dating, cept it's all girls and we're just friends). In order to get to know people on more than just the superficial level of "where are you from? what's your major" ya da ya da, we talked about who our heroes are. When she told us to talk about who our heroes are the first person that came to my mind was... my Mom.... Mommy, you are my hero. Thank you for showing me what it means to love God and to love people, to give of yourself, to laugh, to cry, to embrace the simple joys that God blesses us with, to grow deeper and stronger, to have faith that is completely merited because we serve an amazing Father who is more powerful than anything we could ever imagine. Mom, Christ's light is amazing in you, and I would never trade you for the world. Thank you for loving me and for being my mommy, for being my best friend. I love you soo much.... I have really missed my mom recently, and it was so awesome to be able to share with others how much she means to me and why she is my hero. It was great to learn about other's heroes too and to get to know more people and just be encouraged through women who love Jesus.
This post is becoming super loooong, and so far it's only been about today! But, no one said you had to read this, so I guess if you have gotten this far you have wanted to read :o) I think I am gonna post a ton of pictures after I write some more... let's see if I can make a record long post.
Oooo, I've been meaning to share this with you all because I think it is more than awesome. I'm reading a book about God's Will by Kyle Lake, the pastor of University Baptist Church that passed away in a tragic accident a few months ago. Well, in it, he talks about how basically all analogies that we try to apply to God fall short, and that's the point! God cannot be defined through something earthly, it just isn't impossible. Yes, He is Father. But He is also Almighty. He is also Holy. He is also Friend. He is also Avenger. He is also Sacrifice. He is soooo much more. God cannot be defined through one analogy because He is more than we can describe. Hopefully I am provoking some sort of thought from you about that, because I think it is incredible. I mean, we say we don't want to put God in a box, but then we try and describe Him in terms that we can comprehend... He's beyond comprehension! But, we get to discover more and more of Him by His grace throughout each journey of our lives. Incredible. That's pretty much all I can say.
Being that this post has turned into a three hour long ordeal and still hasn't been published (I've left it quite a few times and returned to write more), there have been even more awesome things to add to my day. I talked to a good friend from way back when-- Joey :o) That was happy. It was really good to catch up with him a bit. I went to dinner with Alisha and Mabel... and oh my goodness, have I mentioned that the weather was beautiful today? That made me sooo happy, because it has been cold and gray and soggy all week. Today, beautiful blue sky, warmer with a cool breeze.... gorgeous. To top off the amazing weather, as we were leaving for dinner, the sunset sky was brilliant. You can check out the pics. It got better and better. I love the sky because it reminds me that my God is truly a God of wonders.
Then, the sort of spooky moment of the day... over in the restaurant cluster that we went to for dinner, there are birds..... everywhere. Everywhere is an understatement. We're talking trees covered in them, telephone lines teeming with them, they swarm from roof top to roof top, weird. But, I think of how God knows when every sparrow falls... and He knows every detail, every intimate detail that we may not even know about ourselves.... He knows.
So, now to end the day, I have to study Spanish because I have my first test tomorrow... but God has encouraged me so much through today that I'm even a little bit excited about studying Spanish... scary.
Wow, today has been a good day. At the very beginning, meaning midnight, I was missing home but enjoying talking to two of my favorite people--James and Mabel... I have some hilarious stories from that... oh my goodness. Being challenged by the way people allow Christ to live through them is such an amazing thing. Thank you Jesus for showing Your power through those who choose You. Alright, that reminds me of something else I wanted to say to all of you... gracious, I doubt anyone is even still reading this, but oh well, maybe one day you will. I've recently been convicted of how I have allowed Satan to rule my words in a way that burdens people with the mistakes they've made in the past. I've allowed the deceiver to use my words to bring shame to the hearts of many I love, and it breaks my heart that I have been involved in that. You are free from the guilt and the shame of your past. It has been buried with Christ. I'm so sorry if I have ever tried to dig it up and shove it in your face. It breaks my heart that I may have ever hurt you, any of you. I love you and I pray you will see Christ's unfailing forgiveness through me. He is able.
OK, if you aren't screaming at me to shut up by now I'm honored... God is doing a lot in my life, can you tell? Pray for me. I'm praying for you, and if there is anything that I can pray for you about more specifically, please let me know. "God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus" ~Philippians 1:8 I love you.... Enjoy the pictures :o)